International outcry as Thai military introduce curfew and detain former prime minister

Bangkok: Thailand’s army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha appointed himself acting prime minister and summoned 114 prominent political figures to a meeting, a day after seizing power in a bloodless coup that has sparked an international outcry.

Thailand's military government detained former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and members of her family after summoning her and other ministers for talks on Friday.

"We have detained Yingluck, her sister and brother-in-law," a senior military officer said. The two relatives have held top political posts.

"We will do so for not more than week, that would be too long. We just need to organise matters in the country first," said the officer, who declined to say where Yingluck was being held.

New order: Thai soldiers move to dismantle an anti-government protest camp surrounding a portrait of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Photo: Reuters

Also summoned were key members of Ms Yingluck’s ousted Pheu Thai party, officials of the opposition Democrat party and former high-ranking soldiers and police with political affiliations.

The army said if they failed to turn up they would be arrested.

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A further 155 people have been put on a list preventing them leaving the country, including Ms Yingluck.

Ms Yingluck’s Red Shirt supporters in north and north-eastern strongholds have vowed to retaliate over the coup late on Thursday which General Prayuth declared was to restore stability and normality and stop violence that has left 29 people dead and hundreds injured since last November.

In charge: army chief and self-declared prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha leaves Bangkok's Army Club shortly before he announced his coup on Thursday. Photo: AP

Ms Yingluck’s replacement for a brief three weeks, Niwatthamrong Boonsongphaisan, surrendered on Friday morning at a heavily guarded army building, dispelling rumours circulating in social media that he was planning to announce a parallel government.

General Prayuth, 60, moved swiftly to censor the media, suspend the 2007 constitution, ban gatherings of more than five people, impose a nationwide 10pm-to-5am curfew and detain key political leaders from rival groups in Thailand’s 19th coup or attempted coup since the 1930s.

A Thai army soldier stands guard outside a military compound in Bangkok before former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra arrives to report to Thailand's ruling military. Photo: Getty Images

One order prohibits the media from interviewing former government officials, academics, judges or other members of independent organisations “in a way that may create conflict or confusion among the public".

Despite the coup, Bangkok’s 10 million residents appeared to be going about their normal business, although schools were ordered closed.

A man is detained after Thai soldiers entered a pro-government "red shirt" camp in Nakhon Pathom province on the outskirts of Bangkok. Photo: Reuters

Troops have dispersed anti-government and pro-government protest camps in different parts of Bangkok, leaving the city free of protesters for the first time in six months.

However countries around the world have condemned the takeover. US Secretary of State John Kerry said there was “no justification” for a coup that would have “negative implications” for relations with one of the US’s closest allies in Asia.

He called for “early elections that reflect the will of the people” while the Pentagon said it was reviewing co-operation with Thailand’s military.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she was “gravely concerned".

“We are monitoring it closely but people need to pay close attention to their personal security and their travel plans,” she said.

General Prayuth called foreign ambassadors, military attaches and representatives of international organisations to a briefing on Friday.

The briefing aimed to create understanding and maintain good relations with other countries, a junta statement said.

General Prayuth has made no mention of holding fresh elections or appointing an interim civilian administration.

The takeover comes at a time of deep anxiety in Thailand over the ailing 86-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

General Prayuth is believed to have met the king at the royal palace in Hua Hin, in the south of the country.

The conflict pits the country's majority rural poor against an urban-based elite in Bangkok.

At the heart of the crisis is Ms Yingluck’s elder brother Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption but still wields enormous influence over Thailand’s political affairs.